Jacinta Ngobese-Zuma Vows Weekly Anti-illegal Immigration Protests After 30 June Deadline Passes

• Jacinta Ngobese-Zuma weighed in on the unofficial national shutdown, noting that some undocumented foreigners did not leave
• The leader of March and March announced what the movement would do after the national shutdown officially ended
• Numerous demonstrations have been held across the country as South Africans call for illegal immigrants to leave the country
• A business owner in KwaZulu-Natal expressed concern to Briefly News about the promise made by Ngobese-Zuma about more marches

Byron Pillay, a Briefly News journalist, has dedicated a decade to reporting on the South African political landscape, crime, and social issues. He worked as a newspaper journalist for 10 years before transitioning to online.

KWAZULU-NATAL – Jacinta Ngobese-Zuma has vowed that protests would be held every Thursday, as some illegal immigrants did not leave the country.

The March and March leader made the comments in Durban, KwaZulu-Natal, where she addressed the crowds on 30 June, the unofficial deadline for foreigners to leave the country. Anti-illegal immigration marches have been held across the country, as many South Africans blame foreigners for the crime and unemployment in the country.

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Ngobese-Zuma says protests will continue

Speaking to the thousands of marchers, the March and March Movement leader vowed that protests would continue. She said that as some illegal immigrants did not leave the country by the deadline as requested, the fight against undocumented foreigners would intensify.

Ngobese-Zuma added that protests would take place every Thursday as a result, giving the South African government six months to resolve the issues of illegal immigration in the country.

Ngobese-Zuma says there is no xenophobia in putting South Africans first

While addressing the crowd, the March and March leader questioned why foreign nationals were prioritised ahead of South Africans when it came to jobs in restaurants and as domestic workers. She added that they wanted South Africans to be employed and to run successful businesses.

“Where is the xenophobia in that?” she asked.

She continued that almost all the tuckshops in townships and rural areas were now run by foreign nationals, saying that this was the economy that once belonged to the people. She added that there was also never justice for the children who died from eating snacks bought from these spaza shops in Soweto.

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A KwaZulu-Natal business owner expressed concern to Briefly News that the promise of weekly protests would embolden opportunists to engage in criminal activities. While the unofficial national shutdown was largely peaceful, there were incidents of looting and violence in some parts of the country.

Other stories about March and March

Briefly News has covered several stories about March and March, and the movement's actions across the country.

• March and March called for an amendment to the law to facilitate the mass deportation of illegal immigrants.
• March and March leader Jacinta Ngobese-Zuma confronted a journalist over claims that the movement was xenophobic.
• March and March movement member, Sandile Dube, said the organisation called for a national shutdown on 30 June 2026.

Source: Briefly News